A few observations about the season-ending NASCAR Cup race at Las Vegas a week ago. My heart goes out to Denny Hamlin, who was three laps away from winning his first NASCAR Cup Series title… but saw that dream disappear when a late caution erased his lead and turned the tables.
Champion Kyle Larson and his team owner Rick Hendrick both expressed their regrets to Hamlin and his team owner, Joe Gibbs. I think the entire NASCAR community was in shock over the result. Almost like the World Series Game Seven where Toronto was two outs away from winning the title. Things changed quickly during both incidents.
Full disclosure, I am not and never have been a fan of Hamlin. But I do respect his talents. Grabbing the pole for the championship race and leading two-thirds of the laps is epic, to say the least.
Is there a cure for what happened at Vegas? Of course there is, but NASCAR has to agree to it. There is no shame whatsoever in ending a race under yellow. Had that happened, Hamlin would have been the race winner AND the 2025 champion.
Other sanctioning bodies allow races to end under yellow conditions. The amount of money totally wasted when the words “NASCAR Overtime” pop up is astronomical. And often there are two or even three overtime periods. More needless expense.
I fully understand why ‘Big Bill’ France insisted that all races would end under a green flag. But times have changed. Races are now televised (AND streamed!!), so overtime can create problems with ensuing programs.
NASCAR is trying to attract new viewers and fans, which means going after a younger demographic. That group, by and large, is not interested in the extended time required to determine a winner. Consider their desire for ‘instant gratification,’ if you will.
There are discussions to change the points program with the possible elimination of the playoff format. They should also consider adding that ‘races will go only the advertised distance’ and no further.
More comparisons from the Cup finale and Game 7 of the World Series. The NASCAR Powerball Playoff paid one million dollars to the winner, a Kansas Army National Guardsman. The Blue Jays 50/50 World Series Jackpot paid over twenty-five million dollars to a fan from Oshawa, Ontario. Just saying!!!
As I was watching the victory party at Phoenix, I was reminded of the fact that, ‘back in the day,’ women were not allowed in the pits and children were also banned. Things have definitely changed for the better.
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At the NASCAR Awards ceremony, the Most Popular Driver awards were announced. Chase Elliott was the Cup recipient for the eighth year in a row, Justin Allgaier was the Xfinity Series winner and Rajah Caruth won in the Truck Series. My favourite award went to Mike Joy, who picked up the Myers Brothers Award from the National Motorsports Press Association. Mike is far and away the best announcer out there in any sport. If only he could be cloned and cloned and cloned!!
In drag racing news, NHRA is bringing back the Modified Production class(es) after about a fifty-year absence. I still vividly remember the Modified Production parades down the return road at Indy back in the 60s and early 70s. Good stuff!!
IndyCar has announced they will not be going to an outside company for race control and technical inspection. However, they will be appointing a three-member tribunal separate from the existing race direction and technical inspection staff to oversee any issues that may arise.
Good news – the MISCamping.com infield at MIS has sold out for the fifth year in a row. I was at the first race at MIS, the USAC Champ Car race in the fall of 1968, and the first NASCAR race in June of 1969. Damn, that’s a LONG time ago!!
While following the All-American 400 from the Nashville Fairgrounds track, I was reminded of a race around 35 years ago. Darrell Waltrip won the race with Junior Hanley second. Sharp-eyed Head Tech Inspector Stan Meserve, ACT Tech Director, noticed a ‘radio swap’ as they were pushing Waltrip to the scales. The replacement radio weighed over seventy pounds and was solid lead. DW was DQ’d and Junior got the win and the guitar.
The guitar did not make it out of the track as Junior sold it to some guy. Hanley quipped, ‘I can’t play a guitar’!! And the bogus radio? It sat on a shelf in Meserve’s office in Unity, Maine for years!!
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NASCAR Cup – in the final points for the 2025 season Kyle Larson is the champion followed by Denny Hamlin 3 points back, Chase Briscoe 15 back and William Byron 30 out.
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Jesse Love is the 2025 champion with Connor Zilisch 6 behind, Justin Allgaier 8 down and Carson Kvapil 16 out. Allgaier won the Most Popular Driver Award in Xfinity.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks – Corey Heim is the 2025 champion followed by Ty Majeski 5 back, Kaden Honeycutt/Stewart Friesen 6 back and Tyler Ankrum 17 out. Rajah Caruth won the Most Popular Driver Award in Truck.
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Formula One – There was one Free Practice on Friday at the Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo, Brazil and McLaren’s Lando Norris was quickest. Qualifying for Saturday morning’s Sprint Race replaced FP2. Qualifying for Saturday morning’s Sprint Race replaced FP2 and Norris won the pole over Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren). Canadian Lance Stroll started 7th.
In the Sprint Race, Piastri stuffed it into the tire barriers on lap 6 and apparently got some water on the track. That seemed to cause Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto to both spin out. The yellow came out then the race was red flagged for track clean-up.
On the last lap Sao Paulo native Gabriel Bortoleto crashed hard. The announcers talked about it BUT we did not get to see it at the time. What’s up with that?
Reports have it that he was taken to the FIA infield hospital but quickly checked and released. Replays after the race was over showed a very serious accident. Scary.
At the flag it was Norris over the two Mercedes of Antonelli and George Russell. Stroll finished 9th. It was rather humorous to see the camera crew zooming in on a rather large woman with her pants zipper open a couple of times!!
In qualifying for Sunday’s race Norris continued his streak, taking the pole over Antonelli and a resurgent Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). Stroll qualified 14th.
On the first lap Bortoleto, starting dead last, repeated his last-lap crash in the Sprint Race by stuffing his Stake into the tire barriers, bringing out a safety car. On the restart Piastri went three-wide and forced both Antonelli and Leclerc off the track, with Leclerc losing a left-front tire but not the rim.
On lap 7 the Virtual Safety Car was deployed to allow the Leclerc car to be towed away. The stewards have ‘noted’ Piastri’s actions? Really? They eventually gave him a ten-second penalty. Does the penalty fit the crime? I don’t think so.
At the halfway mark it was Piastri over Norris and Antonelli. At the flag it was Norris over Antonelli and Max Verstappen. Max put on an inspired drive considering he started the race from pit road. His team had opted to install a new power unit, thus forcing the pit road start. I noticed they didn’t identify the names of the awards presenters in victory circle.
In the Drivers’ Championship Norris leads Piastri by 24 and Max by 49.
In the Manufacturers’ Championship, McLaren leads Mercedes by 358 and Red Bull by 390.
Next race – Las Vegas, Saturday, November 22.
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NHRA – Next race – Pomona, Sunday at 5 p.m. on Fox Sports Racing.
Buxton Speedway – the Buxton Blizzard, Saturday, January 3, 2026. BE THERE!!!
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
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